Terrell Owens, Michael Vick help launch flag football league in San Jose – The Mercury News

Former 49er Terrell Owens and other ex-NFL stars like Michael Vick and Chad Ochocinco will be on the field in San Jose on Tuesday, playing in the inaugural game of the new American Flag Football League at Avaya Stadium.

That’s right, flag football — played by thousands of kids on school fields — is going pro. The league, founded by New York-based finance guy Jeff Lewis, plans to launch a full slate of games in the summer of 2018. Tuesday’s game is like a TV pilot or a software beta test, pitting Team Owens against Team Vick to show fans what the game can look like when played with seasoned pros in a stadium.

“When I think about football in the future for guys who want to further their career, this could be an opportunity for them,” Vick said in a video posted on the American Flag Football League’s Facebook page. “They could get enjoyment and fulfillment out of the flag league. I just wanted to be one of the first pioneers being involved.”

And this won’t be quite the flag football you remember from middle school, either. SMT, the Fremont-based company that created the yellow first-down line for NFL games, has been brought on to create a high-tech “e-flag” to track the location and status of all the players during the game.

“There’s no better place to showcase our new game than to the passionate fans of the Bay Area,” Lewis said in a release. “This inaugural game in June will be the first step toward establishing a league and standard for a rapidly growing sport that is entertaining for today’s generation of fans and captivating to witness in person.”

Former San Jose State and 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia will be providing color commentary on the game, which starts at 6:30 p.m.  Tickets are $10, with all proceeds going to the Positive Coaching Alliance, and are available at americanflag.football.